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A review by rays_of_sunshine_08
Dragon Den by Kriss Dean
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Thank you netgalley and Yggdrasil Press for an arc of Dragon Den in exchange for an honest review. The book follows our protagonist, Markus, after he is given a once in a life-time second chance to fufil his dream of being a dragon-rider after his dreams were crushed due to his failed attempt to break a dragon.
11/05/2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Listen, this book wasn't bad. In fact, it was an easy read, and there were moments were I found myself really enjoying it, and I would definitely read a sequel if it is written. However, there were a few things that I found could be done better.
The most prominent thing for me was the lack of world-building, which felt basically non-existent. We were given practically zero information about the world, its history and the history of dragon riders and the tradition to "break" a dragon. I also think we could have been given more information about the clans, and their various dynamics.
Alongside this, I felt like we weren't given enough information about the characters. Most of the side characters seemed extremely one dimensional, and the main character's story felt so abrupt that I didn't totally get his story at first. I am a sucker for a non-linear timeline, for being shoved right into the thick of the action, but I just didn't feel like I could root for a protagonist whose world and motivations I didn't understand.
Which brings me to possibly my least favourite part of the book; the love story. It was implied that Markus had liked Amira for a long time, but for the first 70% of the book, there was absolutely no chemistry between them, and it all felt a little too "insta-love"y for me. However, after Amira and Markus's first date, it seemed to improve.
My last critique is on some of the descriptive language, which felt very repetitive, which made it boring to read. By the third time Amira was described with her "vanilla flavoured lotion," I had had enough.
Anyways, as I said before, there were moments where I thoroughly enjoyed the book...
The dragon racing scene was amazingly written, and my favourite part of the entire book was the dragon fight. It felt unique to the book, less surface-level telling and more descriptive showing then the rest of the book. It also made use of its own story, rather than drawing straight from its inspirations (Fast & Furious and HTTYD)
FINAL THOUGHTS:
This book is an easy read, and I'd never expect a debut novel to be perfect. With some fleshing out, nuance added and perhaps some distance from the inspiration, but rather its own story, this book could have been really good.
11/05/2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Listen, this book wasn't bad. In fact, it was an easy read, and there were moments were I found myself really enjoying it, and I would definitely read a sequel if it is written. However, there were a few things that I found could be done better.
The most prominent thing for me was the lack of world-building, which felt basically non-existent. We were given practically zero information about the world, its history and the history of dragon riders and the tradition to "break" a dragon. I also think we could have been given more information about the clans, and their various dynamics.
Alongside this, I felt like we weren't given enough information about the characters. Most of the side characters seemed extremely one dimensional, and the main character's story felt so abrupt that I didn't totally get his story at first. I am a sucker for a non-linear timeline, for being shoved right into the thick of the action, but I just didn't feel like I could root for a protagonist whose world and motivations I didn't understand.
Which brings me to possibly my least favourite part of the book; the love story. It was implied that Markus had liked Amira for a long time, but for the first 70% of the book, there was absolutely no chemistry between them, and it all felt a little too "insta-love"y for me. However, after Amira and Markus's first date, it seemed to improve.
My last critique is on some of the descriptive language, which felt very repetitive, which made it boring to read. By the third time Amira was described with her "vanilla flavoured lotion," I had had enough.
Anyways, as I said before, there were moments where I thoroughly enjoyed the book...
The dragon racing scene was amazingly written, and my favourite part of the entire book was the dragon fight. It felt unique to the book, less surface-level telling and more descriptive showing then the rest of the book. It also made use of its own story, rather than drawing straight from its inspirations (Fast & Furious and HTTYD)
FINAL THOUGHTS:
This book is an easy read, and I'd never expect a debut novel to be perfect. With some fleshing out, nuance added and perhaps some distance from the inspiration, but rather its own story, this book could have been really good.